BioBlitz = (Monitoring + Awareness Raising) x Collaboration: How the Urban Biodiversity Parks Project turned biodiversity monitoring into an effective awareness raising tool to kick-off collaboration

What exactly is a bioblitz?

According to National Geographic: “A bioblitz is an event that focuses on finding and identifying as many species as possible in a specific area over a short period of time, usually 24 hours.” Sounds like just another biological inventory, right?

Not quite! A bioblitz is built on the principles of “citizen science”. It is designed to bring together volunteer scientists, ranging from students and teachers to families and other members of the community. Without prior knowledge or preparation, citizens collaborate with scientists to monitor, explore and learn about the biodiversity in their own neighbourhoods. Along the way, participants acquire monitoring skills, enhance their awareness and understanding of local biodiversity, and reconnect with nature – bridging a crucial gap in awareness. Due to this design, it proved to be a very effective tool for biodiversity monitoring of urban green areas. 

The first bioblitz was organized in 1996 in Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Gardens in Washington D.C. (USA). Surrounded by dense residential and industrial areas, Kenilworth Park was considered a low-biodiversity area. However, the bioblitz revealed over 900 species living there, demonstrating the significant ecological value of urban green spaces. Since then, hundreds of bioblitzes have been organised worldwide, showcasing the biodiversity hidden in urban environments and fostering greater public engagement with nature. If you are curious about organizing a bioblitz, I recommend reading a recently published article by URBACT expert Ferenc Szigeti-Böröcz for detailed guidance.

BioBlitz in Turku

The BioBlitz kicked off with an event and exhibition held in the nearby Skanssi shopping mall – a decidedly “urban setting.” However, as Elina Rantanen, the Deputy Mayor of Urban Environment for the City of Turku, emphasised in her opening speech, partnerships are very valuable. As the park’s closest neighbour with existing infrastructure, the shopping mall has the potential to serve as a key entry point and ambassador for the Skanssi Urban Biodiversity Park story. Furthermore, this reduces the need to establish any such infrastructure within the Skanssi Park itself.

Now it was time to visit the Skanssi Park area and start investigating its urban biodiversity. Originally, we were a group of about 30 people – the expected mixture of project partners, teachers, students and city officials – so, plenty of interesting people to talk to during a short walk to the park.

In a conversation with one of the organisers, Prof. Ilari E. Sääksjärvi, I learned that this was actually the third BioBlitz held in Turku. The first event, organised in 2022, focused on the University Campus area and turned out to be an unexpected success. This led to the decision to make the BioBlitz a regular initiative, with the goal of eventually covering all urban green areas in Turku. As you can imagine, the Urban Biodiversity Parks project provided the perfect opportunity to host this latest event.

As we approached the entrance location, more and more people began to gather. Small groups of families, elderly residents, teachers and students, and even friends out for morning exercise trickled in, forming an unexpectedly large crowd. It seemed even the organizers hadn’t anticipated such a turnout, as additional biologists were quickly mobilized to lead one of the three groups. To me, this proved two things: that all parts of the community can be engaged and that the organizing team knows how to adapt to the situation – definitely extra points in my book.

Over the next few hours, biologists guided us through Skanssi Park, moving from one point of interest to another. Along the way, we explored the unique living conditions in different areas of the park and learned how to identify them.

At this point I must highlight iNaturalist, a voluntary scientific community and a free-to-use online tool that utilises photography and geolocation to identify species and provide user-friendly information about them. Since it operates across Europe and supports many languages, it was undoubtedly one of my most significant personal takeaways from the BioBlitz in Turku.

If we want save the biodiversity in today’s world, we need to explain it and reconnect people to nature. We, as biologists, play a crucial role in this process. And this is exactly why we are doing this BioBlitz today.  

Ilari E. Sääksjärvi, the Professor at the University of Turku and the Director of the Biodiversity Unit

Furthermore, we practiced various monitoring methods, discovered the roles that the most recognisable plants and animals play in the ecosystem, and even took moments to stand still, using all our senses to simply enjoy nature and “recharge our batteries.”

After such moments we reflected on the social benefits of nature, emphasizing that biodiversity is not just a biological concept, but rather influences every aspect of our lives and society as well.

Due to the participatory nature of all exercises, I had the opportunity to meet new people within the group, connect with them on a personal level, and by the end of the day, it felt as though I had known them for much longer. To me, this highlights several important insights: learning by doing has the remarkable ability not only to share knowledge and raise awareness, but also to connect people and bring communities closer together.

Except for students and teachers, who continued with the monitoring, BioBlitz ended for many of us with refreshments at the other side of the Skanssi Park. This provided me with the opportunity to collect the following reflections.   

Three unique points of view

The Organiser - Juulia Räikkönen: Following the success of the first BioBlitz, Turku University was approached by several initiatives asking to replicate the event for various purposes.

Juulia explains: “In one case, restaurant owners along the river approached us with the idea of creating a nature path through a BioBlitz. We haven’t been able to realize that yet, but it shows that our message reached many citizens. Ultimately, the purpose of a BioBlitz is not just to collect biodiversity data, but also to spark people’s interest and engage with them.”

When I asked her about the future of BioBlitzes in Turku, she said: “Of course, we want to continue, but we need to approach it smartly. Organizing a BioBlitz requires a lot of people, resources, and time. We’ve already sat down with the City of Turku to identify priority areas for future events. Now we’re looking for funding, but I’m confident we’ll find it. The bigger challenge, I believe, is finding the right people to carry it out – and that might prove even more difficult.”

My conversation with Juulia reinforced my belief that one of the greatest strengths of urban green areas is their ability to attract not only large but also diverse audiences. This highlights the profound educational potential of urban green areas, which can and should be leveraged to foster awareness and engagement.

The Storyteller - Ilari E. Sääksjärvi: I joined Ilari’s group to collect more of his thoughts while moving between points of interest. He pointed out that we are losing biodiversity faster than ever and seem to forget that we are a part of it. This is why he and his colleagues from the University of Turku are in a process of redefining biodiversity, especially from the eco-sociological perspective.

Ilari explains: “We want people to understand that biodiversity is not out there, but is a concept that applies to all parts of our lives. This is why one of the most important challenges of the project is keeping all these people around us engaged through time. We are not only aiming to create the Urban Biodiversity Park. We want to create a natural living room for the Skanssi District, where people will feel comfortable and will want to return every day. Then they will be motivated not only to preserve the green area, but will hopefully apply the same logic to other urban areas around them too.”    

Regardless of the project, Ilari and his team are actively trying to get the message out. Every year they visit 30 schools to raise the awareness and reach out to the most important audience for the future – our youngsters. 

The End-user - Lassi Suominen and his students: I actually met one of Lassi’s students before met him. He was trying to dig something from the ground. It turned out to be an old wrist-watch. But to a young teenager it was a treasure. I could see the gleam of discovery in his eyes and I thought: “Yes, that’s what it is all about… Getting out here, looking around and finding something that excites you!”    

So, I looked around and quickly realized that he was a part of a small teacher-student group. In fact, it was just Lassi, the biology teacher from a school in Salo, and two of his students. Lassi told me that he is a member of a biology teacher network and received the invitation from the organisers. He asked around and found two students willing to spend their Saturday on the BioBlitz in Turku. “You know, it is all about quality, not quantity!” he said laughing and waving to his students. He knew very well that he brought the best kids with him.

And Lassi was not the only biology teacher there, so congrats to the organizers – the message is getting through and end users of all ages are responding.        

For conclusion

Based on the example of the BioBlitz in Turku, I can confidently conclude that bioblitz is an exceptionally effective tool for bridging the gap between science and citizens. Moreover, it has proven to be a powerful way to unite the community around a shared goal, raise awareness, and – thanks to the active involvement of the City of Turku - narrow the ever-present gap between local governments and their citizens.

I believe the concept of a bioblitz extends far beyond the issue of urban biodiversity and can be adapted to address virtually any urban challenge – with appropriate modifications. However, given its nature, I must emphasise that it is a complex tool requiring a dedicated, multidisciplinary and knowledgeable team to implement it effectively.

That being said, it compels participants to pause, look around, and acknowledge that something exits and lives in the green part of “our world”. It fosters appreciation for green urban areas, encourages their preservation, and inspires individuals to see their community in a new light, motivating them for collective action and the shared benefits that urban green areas provide.

Not bad for a sunny Saturday spent in nature, just around the corner!